Buckles for bracelets and the like



Dec. 12, 1967 A. E. GAZELEY 3,357,069

BUCKLES FOR BRACELETS AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 14, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 In ventor A; BEKT Zia Am 642515 Y A florneys Dec. 12, 1967 A. E. GAZELE Y BUCKLES FOR BRACELETS AND THE LIKE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 14," 1966 Inventor I 4415527 fpm en 64254.58

A ttorney;

United States Patent Ofiiice 3,357,069 BUCKLES FOR BRACELETS AND THE LIKE Albert Edward Gazeley, San Po Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, assignor to Stelux Manufacturing Company Limited, San Po Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong Filed Oct. 14, 1966, Ser. No. 586,698 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Aug. 31, 1966, 38,875/ 66 5 Claims. (Cl. 24-232) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE In a fastener for a wrist band or bracelet a loop memher is interlinked by a clasp member comprising a plate member and a catch member pivoted together which interlock by spring jaws engaging a tongue, and side walls conceal these interlocking parts. Additional lugs of the clasp member engage the loop member as a safety catch.

The invention relates to buckles for bracelets and the like, such as used, for example, to hold a watch to a wearers wrist.

The invention consists in a buckle for a bracelet or the like comprising a loop member, a plate member formed with a catch member pivoted to the plate member, the catch member being adapted to be passed through the loop member to be folded back, about its pivot, to the plate member, the catch member and plate member being provided with cooperating means adapted to intereng-age in order to hold the catch member in said folded position adjacent to the plate member, and thus to interlink the loop member with the plate member.

The cooperating means adapted to interengage in order to hold the buckle locked may comprise fastening claws on one member arranged to interlock with a retaining tongue on the other member. There may also be provided additional safety catch means adapted to guard against separation of the loop member and the plate member if the interlocking means of the catch member and plate member should become disengaged. The loop member may comprise side strips held apart in spaced parallel relationship by one or more tubes or rods.

The invention will be clearly understood from the following description of forms (given, however, merely by way of example) which it may assume, and this description will be more readily followed by reference to the accompanying drawings wherein FIGURE 1 represents in perspective a buckle suitable for use in a bracelet supporting :a ladys wrist watch; and

FIGURE 2 represents in like view a buckle suitable for similar use by a gentleman.

In carrying the invention into effect in one convenient manner as shown in FIGURE 1 of the aforesaid drawings, a bracelet buckle is formed of a plate member, a catch member and a loop member. The plate member comprises a plate 1 of strip metal, preferably slightly curved to fit a wearers wrist, with upturned side walls 2 at, and projecting beyond, one end of the plate 1. The upper edges of the walls 2 may be inwardly flanged as at 3, and extending between the outer ends of the walls 2 may be a transverse rod or tube 4. At the face of the plate 1 adjacent to its other end may be formed or welded on a transverse tube 5.

The catch member comprises a metal strip 6 (conforming in curvature with the plate 1) having parts projecting from its flanged edges. At one end project downwardly apertured lugs 7 spaced and dimensioned to fit against opposite ends of the transverse tube 5 of the plate member, and a pivot pin 8 (or an equivalent tube, bar or rivet) 3,357,059 Patented Dec. 12, 1967 through these lugs 7 and the tube 5 serves to hinge together the plate member and catch member.

The free end of the strip 6 may be slightly bent upwards, as at 9, and adjacent to this end are downwardly projecting fastening claws 10 curved inwards towards one another as illustrated. The end edge of the plate 1 between the side walls 2 is formed with an upturned tongue 11 of smoothly curved edge, so located that as the catch member 6 is folded down about its hinge 8 towards the plate 1 fastening claws 10 contact the tongue 11, and when pressure is applied the claws open apart, and descend further to embrace, and make spring engagement with the tongue 11.

The loop member comprises side walls 12 held in spaced relationship corresponding to that of the Wall 2 of the plate member, by transverse rods or tubes 13a, 13b. These walls 12 are provided with inturned flanges 14 corresponding to the flanges 3 of the plate member, and the width of the catch strip 6 is such as to fit snugly between these flanges. The components 4 and 13b may be fixed, or removable spring bars.

In use the plate member 1 is attached, e.g. by the rod or tube 4 to one end of a bracelet or the like, and the loop member 12 is attached to the other end of the bracelet or the like, e.g. by the rearmost rod or tube 1312. To secure the end of the bracelet together the opened-out catch member 6 is inserted between the side walls 12 of the loop member and folded back to make locking engagement with the plate member 1 as described above, to interlock with the forward cross-bar 13a of the loop member, and to hold the edges of the side walls 12 of the latter against the plate 1 and with the end edges abutting against the side walls 2 of the plate member. When thus closed the upper face of the strip 6 is aligned with the upper surfaces of the flanges 3 and 14 for neat apearance. Safety catch means may comprise downwardly extending side lugs 15 intermediate of the ends of the strip 6 which close in front of the transverse bar 13a of the loop member to safeguard complete disengagement of the members if the claws 10 should inadvertently become detached from the tongue 11.

A rather more robust form of buckle in accordance with the invention for gentlemens use is shown in FIGURE 2. The lugs 7 of the somewhat wider catch plate 6 are pivoted to separate individual lugs 16 on the plate 1 for hinging the members together. Alternatively the pivot may be of the same kind as shown in FIGURE 1, or a sectional hinge of conventional form. The catch plate 6 may be provided, if desired, with an lip-turned tip (such as 9 in FIG- URE 1). The plate 1 is provided with a wider tongue 17 for engagement by the spring claws 10 of the catch memher 6. The loop member is formed of metal plate so that the side walls 12 are held apart by an integral transverse metal strip 18. The construction is otherwise substantially as described above with reference to FIGURE 1.

From the above description it will be seen that the invention provides a simple but effective bracelet buckle of neat appearance, but it should be understood that the invention is not limited solely to the details of the forms described above which may be modified, in order to meet various conditions and requirements encountered, without departing from the scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. A fastener for a wrist band or bracelet comprising a loop member, a releasable clasp member adapted to interlink with said loop member, said clasp member including a plate-member and a catch-member pivoted together and adapted to open and close about said pivot, said clasp member incorporating spring claws adapted to engage opposite sides of a tongue for interlocking said platemember and catch-member in closed positions, and said fastener having side walls which substantially conceal said engaging tongue and spring claws when the clasp member is closed.

2. A fastener according to claim 1 wherein said spring claws fiex apart and spring together in a direction transversely of the fastener and substantially parallel to the pivot axis of said plate-member and said catch-member.

3. A fastener according to claim 1 wherein the said plate member comprises a metal strip having side walls upstanding from opposite side edges, and a tongue upstanding from the end edge of said strip between said side walls.

4. A fastener according to claim 1 wherein the said catch-member comprises a metal strip pivoted by one end to said plate-member, said catch-member having spring claws turned down from opposite side edges near to its other end.

5. A fastener according to claim 1 wherein said loop member comprises spaced side walls having extending between them a cross-bar with which said clasp member can interlink.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 273,241 2/ 1883 Moore 24-230 899,997 9/1908 Mark 2471 1,451,315 4/1923 Avery 24-241 1,830,187 11/1931 Bellavance 63--14 2,580,907 1/1952 Gaupp 24-241 2,633,619 4/1953 Rodriguez 24241 3,147,607 9/1964 Calvano et a1. 24230.1 XR

FOREIGN PATENTS 1,236,559 6/ 1960 France. 1,260,981 4/1961 France.

129,960 3/ 1929 Switzerland.

DONALD A. GRIFFIN, Primary Examiner. 

1. A FASTENER FOR A WRIST BAND OR BRACELET COMPRISING A LOOP MEMBER, A RELEASABLE CLASP MEMBER ADAPTED TO INTERLINK WITH SAID LOOP MEMBER, SAID CLASP MEMBER INCLUDING A PLATE-MEMBER AND A CATCH-MEMBER PIVOTED TOGETHER AND ADAPTED TO OPEN AND CLOSE ABOUT SAID PIVOT, SAID CLASP MEMBER INCORPORATING SPRING CLAWS ADAPTED TO ENGAGE OPPOSITE SIDES OF A TONGUE FOR INTERLOCKING SAID PLATEMEMBER AND CATCH-MEMBER IN CLOSED POSITIONS, AND SAID FASTENER HAVING SIDE WALLS WHICH SUBSTANTIALLY CONCEAL SAID ENGAGING TONGUE AND SPRING CLAWS WHEN THE CLASP MEMBER IS CLOSED. 